Why We’re Fascinated by True Crime
True crime podcasts, documentaries, and series have become a cultural mainstay. From streaming platforms to long podcast playlists, stories of real-life mystery, violence, and disappearance capture our attention in powerful ways. For many people, true crime feels compelling, educational, reassuring, and oddly hard to turn off. It pulls us in, even when we know we should stop.
Alongside that fascination, many people notice something else creeping in: heightened anxiety, hypervigilance, mistrust, and a vague sense of unease. The question isn’t just why we’re drawn to true crime. The real question is how repeated exposure quietly shapes our nervous system, our sense of safety, and our view of the world.
Why True Crime Feels So Compelling
From an evolutionary and psychological standpoint, true crime hits several buttons at once. Noticing threats has always been essential for survival. Humans are wired to pay attention to danger. True crime activates this system by combining and offering narrative structure, emotional intensity, and real-world stakes. Our brains are wired to pay attention to threat, and these stories activate the same systems designed to keep us alive, holding our attention indefinitely as we consume episode after episode.
There’s also an illusion of preparedness. An element of control. By learning about warning signs, red flags, and "what went wrong," viewers may feel more in control, more prepared. Consuming these true crime stories can feel like a way to gather intel, to stay informed, and to be protected. This is an understandable response in an unpredictable world.
This doesn’t mean true crime is literally addictive in a clinical sense, but it can certainly be considered habit-forming. Unresolved narratives, serialized episodes, and constant updates override natural stopping cues. “Just one more episode” reveals the good storytelling meeting a threat-sensitive brain, not a moral failure on the listener's part. In moderation, this curiosity can feel grounding. Realize, however, that repeated exposure to threat-focused content can train the nervous system to remain on high alert.
The Good News (Yes, There Is Some)
Here’s the reassuring part: research consistently shows that true crime consumption does not automatically increase fear or anxiety. Watching or listening to true crime doesn’t doom someone to chronic stress, paranoia, or panic.
In fact, many people engage with true crime without any noticeable negative effects. Some feel informed. Some feel entertained. Some feel nothing more than curiosity.
Anxiety tends to increase not because of true crime itself, but because of how closely a story feels to one’s own life and how much emotional space it begins to occupy.
When Awareness Turns Into Anxiety
The nervous system does not always distinguish between learning about danger and experiencing danger. Stories that feel realistic, unresolved, or personally relatable can trigger a subtle but persistent stress response. When we repeatedly consume stories involving violence, loss, or unresolved outcomes, the body absorbs the emotional weight of those stories.
Over time, this can show up less as fear and more as background vigilance:
- Constant scanning for threat
- Hypervigilance or mistrust in public spaces or relationships
- Difficulty trusting others
- Difficulty relaxing or “turning off”
- Heightened fear of intimacy or commitment
- A sense that danger is always nearby
High-Profile Cases and the Stories We Absorb
High-profile cases such as those involving Gabby Petito, Nicola Bulley, and the University of Idaho murders illustrate different facets of how true crime narratives shape public fear. The stories can center on intimate partner violence, coercive control, unexplained disappearance, sudden random violence, or even public safety. The violence may dominate the media for months or years, as in the coverage of the disappearance of Suzanne Clark Simpson.
While the circumstances of these cases differ, the emotional impact on audiences often converges. What these stories share is relatability. They involve ordinary routines, familiar settings, and people who feel recognizable. Extensive media coverage, unresolved narratives, and constant analysis can amplify fear and uncertainty, especially when viewers see aspects of themselves or their loved ones reflected in the stories. When viewers can easily imagine themselves or someone they love in the story, perceived risk rises, even when actual risk remains low.
These cases matter. They raise awareness and prompt necessary conversations. At the same time, repeated exposure can distort perception, making rare events feel common and danger feel ever-present.
How Fear Changes Behavior
One of the most important findings across research is how people's behavior changes after consuming threat-based media.
Sustained fear is associated with subtle but meaningful shifts:
- Reduced physical activity
- Less social engagement
- Increased avoidance of unfamiliar places or people
- Narrowing of daily routines
Over time, these patterns can contribute to low mood, isolation, and depressive symptoms, not because the world is objectively more dangerous, but because life becomes smaller.
Awareness Without Overexposure
Women tend to engage with true crime more often than men, a pattern that has sometimes been misunderstood or oversimplified. Research suggests this interest is less about fascination with violence and more about threat education.
For many women, true crime functions as informal safety training, learning warning signs, understanding coercive control, and making sense of real risks in a world where vulnerability is unevenly distributed. This is not pathology; it’s adaptation.
The goal isn’t to shame true crime fans or dismiss the value of awareness. Instead, it’s about recognizing how our nervous system responds to repeated exposure to threats and engaging with this content intentionally.
Helpful questions to consider include:
- How does my body feel after consuming this content?
- Does it leave me informed or activated?
- Am I using true crime to feel prepared, distracted, or emotionally regulated?
Awareness is most helpful when paired with boundaries. Choosing when and how we engage with true crime can make the difference between insight and ongoing anxiety.
Strategize Your Success
Mental health is deeply tied to a sense of control. Personal growth includes understanding not only what captures our attention, but how it affects our nervous system, beliefs, and relationships. When media consumption quietly increases fear, vigilance, or avoidance, the goal is to be intentional about our engagement rather than avoid the information altogether. We get to choose.
Learning to notice these patterns allows curiosity without chronic fear. We can begin to observe how content affects our bodies, moods, and behaviors, allowing curiosity without everlasting anxiety. Awareness paired with regulation keeps information empowering rather than overwhelming.
Tactical Counseling helps individuals explore anxiety, trauma exposure, relationships, and patterns of avoidance with clarity and intention. Through counseling, education, and skills-based growth, it’s possible to learn and use the right tools to stay informed without staying overwhelmed. You can still live fully, even while enjoying the latest true crime podcast or Netflix docuseries.
If you’re noticing heightened anxiety, mistrust, or emotional fatigue, support can help you recalibrate and regain balance. Together, we can Strategize Your Success.
Resources for Further Reading
- Boling, K. S. (2022). “It’s that ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ piece of it”: Domestic violence survivors in true crime podcast audiences. Mass Communication and Society, 26(6), 991–1013. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2022.2061359
- Chadee, D., Smith, S., & Ferguson, C. J. (2019). Murder she watched: Does watching news or fictional media cultivate fear of crime? Psychology of Popular Media Culture 8(2), 125-133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000158
- Maxouris, C. (2022). A timeline of 22-year-old Gabby Petito’s case. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/16/us/gabby-petito-timeline-missing-case
- Medel, D. (2025, Oct 5). One year later, Suzanne Clark Simpson is still missing. Her husband is accused of murder. San Antonio Report. https://sanantonioreport.org/one-year-later-suzanne-clark-simpson-is-still-missing-her-husband-is-accused-of-murder/
- Schneid, R. (2025, Jul 21). Bryan Kohberger Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Idaho Student Murders. Time. https://time.com/7304923/bryan-kohberger-sentenced-idaho-student-murders/
- Stafford, M., Chandola, T., & Marmot, M. (2007). Association between fear of crime and mental health and physical functioning. American Journal of Public Health, 97(11), 2076–2081. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.097154
- Stanley, E. (2024). Nicola Bulley's family to 'tell their own story'. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3wypnk1ppo
- Vicary, A. M., & Fraley, R. C. (2010). Captured by True Crime: Why Are Women Drawn to Tales of Rape, Murder, and Serial Killers? Social Psychological and Personality Science, 1(1), 81-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550609355486